Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau wants Adelaide United to own Australia Day at Adelaide Oval

Adelaide United announce friendly against Malaga0:49

Adelaide United have announced an exhibition match against La Liga side Malaga which is set to take place in three weeks at Adelaide Oval, with the Reds hoping the game will spring the club into the 2015 LFP World Challenge.

HAVING locked in a landmark La Liga contest with Malaga, innovative coach Josep Gombau wants Adelaide United to own Australia Day at Adelaide Oval.

Cricket Australia has given Adelaide’s cherished 2015 Australia Day cricket fixture to Sydney — a market already flooded with international fixtures this summer.

Adelaide Oval will host no international cricket in January — and possibly forever — in its first full summer as a redeveloped 50,000 seat stadium

“It would be magnificent, I hope and wish that this would happen,” said Gombau of a January 24 Australia Day weekend clash with Newcastle Jets at Adelaide Oval.

“It could be a good deal for everyone. We are also playing the first game of the season here against Melbourne Victory.

“If we had these games in the city there might be more people that want to follow us. It would be amazing for us.”

Cricket Australia’s treatment of Adelaide cricket fans — described as ‘disgraceful and inept’ by Sports Minister Leon Bignell — leaves the door open for the A-League to service fans disregarded by cricket.

Soccer is riding a wave of post World Cup support and A-League officials are keen to keep momentum going. However the Adelaide Entertainment Centre would — rightfully and contractually — have to endorse any switch of the holiday game from Hindmarsh.

Adelaide United will agree to pay AEC a $50,000 break fee while the A-League would support the fixture change.

The government — which is understood to have paid several hundred thousand dollars to host an India v Pakistan World Cup clash — would be hard pressed not support a new Australia Day tradition at Adelaide Oval. Minister Bignell has a chance to back his criticism of CA with action.

Gombau has arrived back in Adelaide this week to guide Adelaide’s pre-season which will now have the July 25 clash with Malaga at Adelaide Oval as the pinnacle.

“La Liga wanted to promote the competition globally and they contacted me and asked what we could do. I spoke with the chairman and they offered this project,” said Gombau.

Gombau last night saw Adelaide Oval for the first time and believes the Spanish will be suitably impressed.

“I like Adelaide Oval, it is very nice, it will be a pleasure to play here and I hope many people come, as many as 25,000 to the Malaga game.”

“Malaga is a very good team from a great league. They have star players Roque Santa Cruz, and Liverpool’s Luis Alberto.”

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